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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25237837">these claws were made for scratchin'</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/gentlerepose/pseuds/gentlerepose'>gentlerepose</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Wayhaven Week 2020 [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>The Wayhaven Chronicles (Interactive Fiction)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Animal Transformation, Gen, Pre-Canon, the classic 'one of them gets turned into a cat'</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-07-13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-07-13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-05 03:47:27</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,784</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25237837</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/gentlerepose/pseuds/gentlerepose</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Mason gets turned into a cat and it's just his luck he's lost in an alley during a thunderstorm.</p><p>Raine's walking back to his apartment after a closing shift and decides to take a shortcut to get out of the rain faster.</p><p>(very self-indulgent trope for the Feral prompt)</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Male Detective &amp; Mason (The Wayhaven Chronicles)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Wayhaven Week 2020 [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1827598</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>22</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>these claws were made for scratchin'</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Thunder roars, shattering through the pouring rain, and Mason wants to kill somebody. Fuck witches and their weird fucking curses, why couldn’t they just end him and leave it at that?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Unit Bravo was assigned to figure out who was behind the random disappearances in this loud as hell city. They, or rather Adam and Nate, figured out it was a witch when Felix pointed out the weird amount of stray animals hanging around alleys and the stench of magic in the air. This witch handled them finding her pretty fucking terribly and now Mason’s a god damn cat.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He cowers into an overturned trash can, the rain not doing much to overpower the gross smell but at least he’s not getting drenched anymore. Mason hunches down, shivering, and wonders for the millionth time where the hell was he. The rain made it so he couldn’t track the rest of his team who might have also become cats, but he was hit first so maybe they got out in time.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>All he knows for sure is that he blacked out seeing her ugly face smile and hearing Adam’s shout fade out, then he woke up alone, smaller, and covered in damn fur in an alley at night. He barely had time to get used to walking on four legs before the sky opened up and now here he is, trembling in a damn </span>
  <em>
    <span>can</span>
  </em>
  <span> with fucking <em>paws</em>.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“-but she didn’t come in and someone had to close,” a voice rings out through the rain and Mason scrambles to ready himself. A pair of boots stop a few feet away. Then the voice laughs, low and warm, and something in Mason relaxes before he shakes himself and tenses again. “That’s just like you to say. Sure, I’ll keep an eye out, must be important for you to call me about. …Mhm, night Mom.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The boots move so suddenly that Mason hisses on instinct, making them pause. Then the person crouches into view. Even in the washed out gray of a rainy day, his warm beige skin seems to shimmer and compliment his honey blond hair, tied back in a short ponytail. A few strands frame his pale blue, almost teal, eyes that are looking right at Mason.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey there,” his voice, unlike the bright fondness it had on the phone, is more gentle, “bad day, huh?” He chuckles, light and easy compared to the rattling rain hitting the can.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Mason growls at him, claws extending, as he watches the man warily. But the man doesn’t reach for him, only holds a hand with fingers out and palm up.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m not going to force you,” he assures, and his smile makes the beauty mark by his left eye wrinkle and his cheekbones round, “but you look too well-kept and handsome to be a stray, your owner must be real worried.”</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Handsome, huh</span>
  </em>
  <span>. Mason studies the man’s face and decides, </span>
  <em>
    <span>Yeah, that suits him.</span>
  </em>
  <span> He waits patiently as Mason slowly creeps forward, the man unfazed by bared teeth and claws. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Seems stupidly naive</span>
  </em>
  <span>, Mason thinks with a scoff. Handsome smells like coffee and pastries though a more citrusy scent clings to his fingertips. But the most important part about him is that his umbrella blocks the rain and warmth emanates from his skin.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Handsome strokes Mason’s ear and it’s a wonderful sensation, like sex without the lust part, just pure pleasure down his spine that a vibration escapes his throat. It makes Handsome grin, bright and cheerful in the gloom of Mason’s awful day.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Before Mason knows it, the touch is gone only to come back when a hand hauls him up and he fights the whole way. </span>
</p><p><span>“Christ, you’re heavy and </span><em><span>big</span></em><span>.” </span><em><span>Normally, I’d be glad to hear that</span></em><span>, Mason thinks glumly as he tries again to swipe at the hand and bares his teeth, </span><em><span>but</span></em> <em><span>not like this</span></em><span>. “Calm down, you little monster,” Handsome says, though his chuckle undermines the insult, “I’m sure you don’t want to spend the night in the trash.”</span></p><p>
  <span>Mason grumbles but relents when Handsome balances the umbrella in the crook of his arm to adjust him. The human’s chest is warm beneath his t-shirt, though lithe even compared to Mason’s cat form; the man needs two arms to properly hold him. Handsome, he realizes, likes the sound of his own voice since he chatters the whole time. Against his will, Mason learns a lot during the ten minute span: Handsome’s name is actually Raine, he works in a coffee shop, he’s in university, and has a boyfriend he doesn’t seem to like.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You know, you’re pretty lucky it’s a Friday,” Raine says as he balances Mason with one arm so he can unlock his apartment, straining from the effort, “I’m off tomorrow so who knows who could’ve found you then. Actually maybe it’d still be me with all these weird disappearances.” Mason writhes the second they step inside but Raine keeps a firm grip on him. “Oh no you don’t, off to the bathroom with you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>After an awful twenty minutes of more water, towels, a blowdryer, yowling, and Raine’s bloodied hands, Mason’s an annoyed puffball perched on the kitchen counter with slitted eyes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Absolutely feral creature,” Raine mutters again as he passes the alcohol soaked tissue over his cuts, the sharp smell making Mason recoil. “Your owner better pay me for physical and emotional damage.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Mason scoffs and Raine’s pinched scowl melts away as he laughs, finishing up bandaging his hands.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s almost like you understand me,” he says, grinning again, and before Mason can consider trying to prove it, Raine’s turned away to open and comb through his fridge. “Now what can cats eat? Most shops are closed now so we’ll just have to make do- oh salmon, yes!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As the human starts preparing food that actually smells pretty good unlike it would usually, Mason gets to look over him again. Without the long, slightly oversized brown coat, Raine’s slimmer than he first thought. In the warm kitchen light, he looks young, maybe around 23, face smooth and bright despite the bags under his eyes. Something about him seems familiar, the defined jaw, high cheekbones, and deep black of his roots.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Here,” a plate sliding across the tile interrupts Mason’s thoughts, “bon appetit, you cute fluffy monster.” Raine watches him scarf down the fish with a delighted wonder, forgetting about his own food until Mason tries to snatch it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I should come up with a name for you,” he says, waving his fork speared with salmon that the cat eagerly watches, “though I’m getting attached to Monster.” He chuckles to himself, louder when Mason shoots him a glare. Raine does toss him another piece of fish, though, which Mason catches out of the air. “Nice. Hm, you do have very nice gray eyes. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a cat with them. That’s pretty distinctive since you’re otherwise a giant black puffball.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Silver?” Mason flicks his tail. “Smoky?” He growls at that and Raine laughs again. “Yeah, not really a unique one for sure and you certainly look like you’d commit arson.” The laugh’s not a bad noise to get used to. Somehow they’ve settled into what’s apparently Raine’s bedroom in this shoebox of an apartment, a small bed behind a screen blocking it from the rest of the room. Mason makes himself comfortable on the bed, only near Raine so he can get scritches under his chin when he responds to his stupid suggestions.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re an awfully picky guy,” Raine finally concedes before yawning. “Ugh, I’m still in these damp jeans. Move over, you’re taking up this whole side, what the </span>
  <em>
    <span>hell</span>
  </em>
  <span>.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As Mason watches Raine undress, he considers that this curse wasn’t the absolute worst.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It’s the absolute worst.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Just get in the harness, you menace,” the annoying human says again in their standoff, hands on his hips with one holding that monstrosity. “It’s either the harness or I’m carrying you and we both know how much you hate that, so pick your poison.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Mason only hisses again from where he’s crouched under a desk. Raine sags into the chair and rubs his temple with a sigh, much like he did after his friend fled, clutching a bleeding hand from deciding to pet the hissing cat. And Mason… feels a little bad. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Fuck</span>
  </em>
  <span>. He starts clambering up the chair, then Raine’s arm. It’s not a particularly big climb, the guy’s probably Felix’s height, which isn’t saying much.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ow, </span>
  <em>
    <span>ow</span>
  </em>
  <span>, the hell are you-” Mason perches proudly on Raine’s shoulder and flicks his tail to swipe under the human’s nose, which - coincidentally and very unintentionally - makes him giggle. “Oh, you think you’re </span>
  <em>
    <span>so </span>
  </em>
  <span>clever. Fine, fine, I’ll take this compromise but if you run off, I’m leaving you to the wolves.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Mason chitters at him which Raine must take as agreement since he chucks the harness back on the bed and they’re walking out and down the stairs. “Glad I got Jason traumatized for nothing,” he says with a chuckle, “you’re burning my bridges like the little arsonist you are.” Mason flicks his tail again and is batted away as Raine gets them to the main street.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Even though his vampire senses have significantly dulled since becoming a </span>
  <em>
    <span>cat</span>
  </em>
  <span>, the crowd of noisy people and the occasional blare of a horn still make Mason tense. But Raine’s hand coming up to scratch at his chest helps a little, at least distracting him from the overwhelming. His thoughts turn to what he’d like to distract himself with if he were </span>
  <em>
    <span>not</span>
  </em>
  <span> a cat and had met Raine and he feels an urge to rub his face against Raine’s.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hm, this </span>
  <em>
    <span>is</span>
  </em>
  <span> the alley,” Raine murmurs to Mason, though he’s probably just thinking aloud, “maybe we could start with the apartments a block down-?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“There you are, handsome!” Mason’s back is instantly arching, his ears pulling back and eyes narrowing. The man is athletic and tall, maybe a couple of inches shorter than Mason’s vampire form. He’s attractive in a polished and careful way that’s irritating, clearly making a ton of effort into something fake. “You weren’t answering your phone.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sorry Bobby,” Raine says with a smile that’s pretty convincing when Mason watched him silence calls last night, “I’ve been really busy with this guy.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Bobby looks at Mason and wisely doesn’t try to touch him, though Mason’s disappointed he wouldn’t get a reason to scratch him. “Did you adopt or pick him out of the trash? He looks… a little feral, handsome.” Mason makes sure to show all his teeth, enjoying the way the man’s face loses some color.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Spot on with the second one.” Raine chuckles and shrugs the shoulder Mason’s not on. “I’m looking for his owner actually.” He bats away where Mason’s tail had curled around his neck.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh?” Bobby’s quick to forget about him, laser focused on Raine as he smirks and steps closer. “You know what they say, two heads are better than one and I’m always chasing a mystery.” His head dips in close and Mason seizes the opportunity. “OW.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Shit, sorry, he’s pretty anti-everyone.” Despite the worry in his tone, Mason can see Raine’s lips quirk into a smile that quickly becomes a concerned frown when Bobby looks at him. “You should get that patched up, I think I’ll be better off on my own. Less casualties.” He offers another charming smile and even a not subtle brush down Bobby’s arm.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Bobby’s hand is clasped to the clawmark bleeding sluggishly down his cheek. “Call me when you get rid of him,” he says shortly, glaring at Mason before stalking off.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Raine sags when he’s gone, letting out a relieved sigh. “Thanks,” he murmurs to Mason, giving a fucking incredible scratch under his chin, “though I doubt it was for me.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>And as Mason settles on Raine’s shoulders for a nap, he doesn’t think much on it. He doesn’t think about how he noticed the way Raine’s shoulders tensed slightly as Bobby came close and how his smile faltered at his voice. It’s a nice morning for a nap and Bobby was being annoying, that’s all.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Nate, look!” A very loud, familiar voice wakes Mason right up, nearly right off Raine’s shoulders if he wasn’t quick enough to dig his claws in. “You’re not going to believe this!” Felix is suddenly right in front of them, Raine jolting in surprise before schooling his face back into a charming smile.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey, can I help you?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Before Felix can open his mouth, a solid 50/50 chance between flirting or cracking a joke, Nate’s there to tug him back and say, “Yes, actually. That’s our cat, we’ve been looking for him all day.” He flashes a friendly smile for good measure and Mason rolls his eyes for what’s going to happen.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But unlike most people, Raine only crosses his arms and smirks. “Oh really? Name his top 5 nap spots.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Felix bursts into laughter as Nate’s mouth drops open in confusion. “I’m sorry, what?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“There’s no need for this,” Adam’s annoyed tone breaks through, face pinched already from muscling his way out of the crowded sidewalk. “Hand over the cat.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Raine scoffs, eyebrow raising; another unconventional response to the demanding, built Adam. “Ah, I see who’s No Fun Allowed. I was only joking, I’m glad you found us.” The second statement is directed at Nate with a bright smile and Adam’s jaw tenses dangerously from being ignored by a human. Felix only looks more and more delighted.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Mason grumbles as he moves back into his perched position, not wanting to deal with a pissed off Adam. Felix’s grin as he reaches out to grab him almost makes Mason consider staying with Raine. Instead, he bites the hell out of Felix’s hand and leaps to his shoulder. “Ow, </span>
  <em>
    <span>Mason!</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Glad to know he does that even to people he likes,” Raine says with a chuckle, “at least he’s consistent.” Then he flashes an amused grin to Mason. “Mason, huh?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes,” Nate slips his hands into his pockets and shoots a look at Mason, “I hope he wasn’t too much of a problem.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Raine laughs and claps a bandaged hand on Nate’s arm, too short to reach his shoulder without straining. “Oh, he was </span>
  <em>
    <span>awful</span>
  </em>
  <span>, but he’s a cute puffball underneath all those claws.” He smiles over at Mason before looking back at the others. “Don’t lose him again, alright? He’s a pretty good cat.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It was not intentional,” Adam snides, scowling down at him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He sure is,” Felix replies, looking at Mason with bright eyes. “Though he’s usually more </span>
  <em>
    <span>fang</span>
  </em>
  <span> than-”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thank you again,” Nate interrupts loudly, startling Raine into retracting his hand, and smiles apologetically, “I’m sure you must be busy, we’ll be on our way now.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Raine nods then hesitates, looking oddly uncertain. “Um, can I say goodbye real quick?” His face flushes a soft pink, but he ignores Adam’s groan to look up at Nate, eyes wide and earnest.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Nate, obviously, falls for it easily, not that he needed much performance in the first place. “Of course you can.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Really grew on you, didn’t he?” Felix chuckles as Raine steps close to him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Raine smiles at him, brushing back blond hair. “Maybe a little.” Those pale eyes look into Mason’s, lips twitching downward. “Take care, you little monster.” He reaches up and scratches Mason’s under his chin, eliciting a deep purr from him. Mason begrudgingly licks his knuckles once and gets a brighter grin for it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Seems he wasn’t the only one a little fond, don’t you think, Natey?” Felix croons once Raine vanishes into the crowd after a wave to the rest of them. He gets a pair of claws digging into his shoulder for it, not that it does much to waver his giant grin.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Nate hums with a smile that makes Mason grumble. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Not him too.</span>
  </em>
  <span> “And after just one day. It’s quite a shame we have to leave, he seemed very kind.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adam snorts, letting them all know what he thinks about that. He does sneak a pet by Mason’s ear, which is not bad but not the same as Raine’s. Not that Mason really thinks about it, especially once he gets back to the Agency and that damn witch turns him back to normal.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Raine only sticks around in the form of Felix’s jokes for a few weeks before he’s forgotten by everyone in favor of another mission, another trip, another place, more flitting humans. Though Mason feels odd the next time they see Agent Bloom, her black hair tied up in a ponytail, face all sharp angles, and holding a thermos that smells of coffee.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Raine meeting UB years later: wait a second</p><p>Im sure mason would actually be so Pissed and not warm up so easily to a random stranger but also its cute to think he does just for the detective and then Doesnt think about it.<br/>also mason's so lost in the sauce he forgets raine has a boyfriend then bobby shows up and hes like 'okay why HIM' but subconsciously<br/>this is so self-indulgent im kinda sorry to post this in the tags but also heres mason as a v grumpy cat</p></blockquote></div></div>
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